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more information...
Landline: 01275 838817 (Based in Bristol) Mobile: 07813 138171
Email:
Claire Paul Bsc (Hons), MSc, Dip Hyp, Dip LC
"Release your full potential and achieve your dreams"
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What is hypnotherapy?
Hypnotherapy is a powerful tool that is included within the category of ‘mind-body’ medicine. It is based on a healing philosophy that recognises the profound connection between the mind and the body. You can learn to redirect your internal resources so that you can take control of your life and achieve your goals using hypnotherapy. This is achieved through a heightened state of awareness, known as hypnosis, which can lead to incredibly positive changes in the way you think and therefore behave.
Objective research suggests that hypnosis is not the same as being asleep as an increase in alpha brainwave activity is found in hypnotised subjects. These are the brainwaves produced when humans are in a relaxed but mentally alert state, as opposed to slower delta waves, which are found predominantly in humans when they are asleep.
Sometimes no matter how much people want to change and how logical the process seems to get there, knowing this is simply not enough, e.g. to lose weight you simply stop eating more food than you burn. Unfortunately, the subconscious mind is not always in line with the conscious mind. Therefore, hypnosis is often necessary to achieve real change by synchronising the conscious and subconscious mind.
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Hypnotherapy has been approved for use by the British Medical Association for more than 40 years.
It's a form of therapy which uses hypnosis to synchronise your conscious and subconscious mind.
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The hypnotised state is similar to being on ‘automatic pilot’. Whilst in this state it is thought that the left, analytical side of the brain turns off, giving the right, creative side, complete freedom. This explains why people always remain conscious but accept suggestions more easily and take actions on these, so long as they are not in conflict with an individual’s moral code of ethics.
Harmony4Life client feedback... "Its so relaxing I wish I could have hypnotherapy every day, that was lovely thanks" |
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So how does hypnotherapy work?
Our conscious mind is believed to represent only 10% of our brainpower, leaving the subconscious mind to use the other 90% to conduct the majority of our brain functions. Therefore most people only use a small proportion of their potential! Due to the strong ‘mind-body’ connection the subconscious can often be at the root of our health problems and anxieties. It controls positive and negative reactions/feelings and is the home of our unique personality, survival instinct, human potential, creativity and intuition. Also known as the 'unconscious', 'inner' or 'feeling' mind, the subconscious mind holds the life record of our memories and learning. The natural mental potential you were born with is waiting to be tapped!
To help explain how this works it is best to break down the following definition of Hypnosis: “Hypnosis is a state of mind in which the critical factor of the human (conscious mind) is bypassed and selective thinking is established.” (Dave Elman)
The critical factor of the conscious mind will block and refuse new information if this is in conflict with information or a belief in the subconscious mind. Thus, hypnosis is used to relax the conscious mind and bypass the critical factor, which opens the door to the subconscious mind. Just simple conscious thought is not enough to reach the subconscious mind and make the changes that you would like.
Selective thinking is established when new positive suggestions are accepted by the subconscious mind wholeheartedly. This happens when you like the suggestions you are given and feel they will work for you, which is why it is important to get a good understanding of what you really want. If you didn’t like a suggestion or this was against your moral code of ethics you simply would not accept that suggestion.
This explains why cognitive behavioural coaching compliments hypnotherapy and NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) so well, as suggestions can be individually tailored to clients’ needs and will therefore be that much more powerful. For example, selective thinking may be established with a client who has requested hypnotherapy sessions for pain relief through a suggestion such as “if you continue to see yourself playing football you will feel no discomfort whatsoever”. The client will experience complete anaesthesia, as long as they continue to focus on playing football and accept the suggestion they have been given.
How safe is hypnotherapy?
Hypnotherapy is very different from the stage hypnotism you see on TV, as your therapist is not controlling your thoughts or making you behave in a certain way. In hypnotherapy with Harmony4Life in Bristol, you will always be completely in control and your therapist simply acts as a guide. They will help you explore the hidden levels of your mind and emotions and use positive suggestions to initiate change so that you can achieve your goals. Although it may seem daunting to dig below the surface of your mind hypnotherapy sessions are a completely safe and supportive way to tap into your potential, as well as past experiences, as illustrated by the following quote:
“The so called dangers from hypnosis are imaginary. Although I have hypnotised many hundreds of patients I have never seen any ill effects from its use” (Dr Julius Grinker).
What evidence is there to prove that hypnotherapy really works?
Research continues to reflect that given the right conditions hypnotherapy can be a very powerful trigger for change. When a client feels comfortable with their therapist they will benefit from increased relaxation and the effects of hypnotherapy can be astonishing. When hypnotherapy is used to replace negative beliefs and old information with positive beliefs/information this can have a profound impact on attitudes, outlook and behaviours. As you can imagine these results can be life changing and explains the success of hypnotherapy as demonstrated by this quote:
“There is more scientific evidence for hypnotherapy than any other complimentary therapy…by using hypnosis people can perform amazing feats of willpower and self-healing” (Health Education Authority)
Which? 2002, reported the results of a meta-analysis of 18 controlled trials which suggest that hypnotherapy can reinforce the effects of cognitive behavioural psychotherapy for conditions including high blood pressure, insomnia and anxiety. Which? also stated that other studies indicate that hypnotherapy can potentially help with weight loss, chronic fatigue syndrome and headaches.
Who can be hypnotised?
Harmony4Life uses a mixture of traditional and new techniques which will ensure that all clients can be hypnotised if they want to be (as long as they have an IQ of at least 70 and do not have a severe mental disorder). The traditional techniques include the progressive relaxation induction, which can be used to hypnotise 70% of clients that it is used on. This takes longer but can be very beneficial for clients who experience a lot of physical tension, as it involves going through each muscle group in the body to ensure the entire body is completely relaxed. The new techniques include the rapid induction method, which ensures that clients are deeply hypnotized within four minutes and produces deep physical and mental relaxation.
Suggestion Therapy and Cognitive Behavioural Coaching
Suggestion therapy refers to positive suggestions that are given to clients, whilst they are experiencing hypnosis, to suggest that something will happen or is happening. For example, ‘your hands are becoming warmer and warmer’ or ‘when you wake up you will feel energised and better than you did before’. This kind of therapy has received criticism as it only deals with the symptoms, rather than the cause. However, using the positive, goal focused approach of coaching in conjunction with suggestion therapy results in tailored hypnotherapy and NLP sessions, which are more powerful. This is the result of suggestion therapy being much more in line with clients’ goals, beliefs, symptoms and any personal barriers that may be holding them back. |
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Suggestion therapy and cognitive behavioural coaching can help you achieve goals such as weight loss, improving relationships, career progression or anything else. However, for deeper rooted psychological problems suggestion therapy and cognitive behavioural coaching may be combined with hypnoanalysis/ regression therapy for more powerful results (see below). |
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Hypnoanalysis (also known as 'regression therapy')
If you find it hard to change feelings, behaviour or emotional reactions to certain things through conscious effort and willpower, underlying conflicts in the subconscious mind may be the cause. Often old feelings such as shame, anger, jealousy, hurt or guilt have been stored in the subconscious mind as a result of past experiences. The conscious is not usually aware of these repressed feelings so they simply remain there and have a continuous influence over present feelings, beliefs and behaviour. However, hypnoanalysis/ regression therapy can tap into the subconscious mind to change this. Harmony4Life successfully treats psychological and emotional issues through hypnoanalysis/ regression therapy in Bristol. This includes phobias (claustrophobia, agoraphobia, etc.), anxiety/panic attacks, migraine/headaches, sexual problems, severe eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia), stutters and depression. In line with hypnotherapy and NLP being ‘brief therapies’ this method ‘speeds up’ the analysis process, getting results in a matter of weeks which can take more than "1,000 hours of conventional analysis". Hypnoanalysis/ regression therapy can take between 1 to 12 weekly sessions, depending on clients’ needs. Hypnoanalysis/ regression therapy facilitates the recall of past events whilst clients are hypnotised (also known as ‘free association’). It focuses on the cause and effect of emotional and psychological issues and is used to identify the original cause of a particular issue. Behavioural issues or physical symptoms are often linked to an emotionally significant past event which is hidden from the conscious mind. For instance as children many of us have faced events which produced emotions that we found difficult, if not impossible, to deal with. The subconscious may have filed the memory of the event away or this may be perfectly clear in someone’s mind. However, the emotion which is associated with the event is usually locked deeply within the subconscious, triggering fears and anxieties, which often take over someone’s life. For example, a phobia may develop if the emotion is externalised and directed towards an object or behaviour. Alternatively physical symptoms may result, such as eczema, migraine, high blood pressure, a stammer or IBS (irritable bowel syndrome). Any issue or condition which may be the result of underlying anxiety, caused by a repressed memory can be helped by hypnoanalysis/ regression therapy. This includes depression, sexual problems, low self-esteem, nervous disorders, tinnitus, fears and phobias. Using hypnoanalysis/ regression therapy I can work with you to re-examine past events and release any associated emotions. It may take a few weeks before memories below conscious awareness come to the surface through hypnoanalysis/ regression therapy. I will guide clients through hypnoanalysis/ regression therapy to help them recall events and emotions leading back to the initial event. Eventually catharthis will occur where the originating cause of the problem and the associated emotions are found and released. As an adult you can use your existing knowledge and wisdom to view these memories from a different perspective, which helps release them from the subconscious. This results in long-term/permanent relief of the symptom.
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